It’s easy to sit back and think, “I’m just one person. How can my choices really affect the whole eco-system?”
Well, you are just one person, but you are one person that can make small changes. One simple choice you can make is to choose eco-friendly products.
Cleaning Products
Many of the cleaning products you find at the grocery store contain toxins that are harmful to both the Earth and to people. Look for eco-friendly cleaning products with natural, biodegradable ingredients — you can consult with the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Guide to Healthy Cleaning for verified cleaning products. Or, clean with simple things you probably already have on hand like vinegar and baking soda. Vinegar makes a great all-purpose cleaner and baking soda is a great mild abrasive – and neither of them is harmful to your family or the environment.
Personal Care Products
Choosing eco-friendly, natural personal care products is also very important. On average, women in the U.S. use 12 personal care products per day, and men use six. These products range from toothpaste to soap to deodorant and more, yet the products and their ingredients are not required to get FDA approval. This means that potentially harmful chemicals are coming in close contact with our bodies, being washed off into our water supplies and the environment, and ending up in the soil – and our food. Consult with EWG’s Skin Deep database to learn more about safer personal care product choices.
Household Items
How many items do you use in your household on a daily basis that are disposable? Paper towels, plastic baggies, tissues, paper plates, plastic cups, and more – and they all get thrown away. Our landfills are filling up quickly, and these nondurable goods are much to blame. In 2017 alone, more than 27.6 million tons of nondurable goods ended up in landfills. Try swapping one disposable item in your kitchen for eco-friendly, reusable alternatives and be kinder to the Earth.
Toys
Most kids today have an abundance of toys, and the majority of them are made from plastic, which can contain harmful ingredients. Think about how many of your child’s toys end up in the trash, and how many of those toys were made from plastic. Now think about how long it takes plastic to biodegrade (estimates say from 20 to 500 years, depending on type). Consider choosing eco-friendly toys made from natural materials like wood and fabric. Not only are these materials safer for the Earth, they’re safer for your child too.
There are many ways you can work to help protect our planet. Choosing environmentally friendly products is one of the easiest and most immediate ways you can make a personal impact, allowing the planet to reap the positive trickle-down effect of your decision.
Originally published on October 27, 2014, this article was updated in September 2020.